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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pound — a weight
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com